Australian Parliament rejects live animal export ban petition

The Australian Parliament upper house has declined to recognize a large-scale petition calling for a ban on all live animal exports. The petition, organized by animal rights advocate Lisa Margetts via Change.org, garnered more than 470,000 signatures and was presented to Parliament by Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie.

While Mr. Wilkie described the petition as a powerful example of grassroots action, the Australian Livestock Exporters Council dismissed the development as a ‘non-event.’ CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton stated that the government’s decision not to recognize it as a formal parliamentary petition was appropriate, noting that many signatories were from overseas and that the government maintains its support for the live cattle trade.